Building structure with the means between spaced panels



Jan. 28, 1969 D. D. BURRIS 3,423,891

BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH THE MEANS BETWEEN SPAGED PANELS Filed Aug. 25.1965 Sheet of 9 a llillllm In R INVENTOR. 1 Y wk M M 1M R BY Jan. 28,1969 D. o. BURRIS 3,423,891

WITH THE MEANS BETWEEN SPACED PANELS Sheet 2 of 9 fig- INVENTOR. UQ. 1mm);

ATTORNEY Jan. 28, 1969 D. 0. BURRIS 3,423,891

BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH THE MEANS BETWEEN SPACED PANELS I Filed Aug. 25,1965 Sheet 3 of 9 I N VENTOR.

MWM

A rraxusvs D. BURRIS BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH THE MEANS BETWEEN SPACEDPANELS Filed Aug. 25, 1965 E. v wwk/ww/nw A TTOR/VE 15 D. D. BURRISBUILDING STRUCTURE WITH THE MEANS BETWEEN SPACED PANELS Filed Aug. 25,1965 Sheet @MQJ(%INENTQR.

A TTORNE Y5 D. D. BURRIS Jan. 28, 1969 BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH THE MEANSBETWEEN SPACED PANELS Filed Aug. 25. 1965 Sheet 7 ATTORNEYS D. D. BURRISJan. 28, I969 BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH THE MEANS BETWEEN SPACED PANELS 9wL2 m 5/ 6 1 O S JWMH w @a W m w L %%Q//X////////////////////////7///////// Jan. 28, 1969 o. o. BURRIS 3,423,891

BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH THE MEANS BETWEEN SPACED PANELS Filed Aug. 25,1965 Sheet 8 of 9.

ATTORNEYS D. D. BURRIS BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH THE MEANS BETWEEN SPACEDPANELS Filed Aug. 2

Sheet 9 of 9 IN VEN TOR.

A'TroR/v \h Wk United States Patent 3 423,891 BUILDING STRUCTURE WITHTHE MEANS BETWEEN SPACED PANELS Donald D. Burris, Wayne, Pa., assignorto Certain-Teed Products Corporation, Ardmore, Pa., a corporation ofMaryland Filed Aug. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 482,350

US. Cl. 52241 13 Claims Int. Cl. E04h 1/02; E04b 2/66, 5/04 ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to building structure and isparticularly concerned with the structure and construction of houses orhomes.

There is widespread need for improvement in low-cost housing in manyareas of the world, and it is a principal object of the presentinvention to provide structural features attaining substantialfulfillment of that need in the sense that the building structure of thepresent invention provides housing equivalent to that afforded by priortypes of structure or construction running to a cost several times thatmade possible by the present invention.

In attaining this major general objective of the present invention,provision has been made for the fabrication of the individual pieces ofwhich the house is constructed from asbestis-cement compositions. Stillfurther the invention provides for so shaping the required structuralpieces that they may readily be produced by extrusion of asbestos-cementcompositions. Since the pieces are formed of asbestos-cementcompositions and further since they are so shaped as to be capable ofextrusion, the cost of the structural pieces is greatly reduced ascompared with various other materials employed for building purposes.

In connection with the feature just referred to, it should further benoted that it is an object of the invention to provide for minimizationof the total number of pieces or shapes required. Thus, in one of theillustrative embodiments herein illustrated and described, only sixdifferent shapes are required for the basic structure of a typicalhouse, these same six shapes being readily adapted to the fabrication ofhouses of a variety of plans, with partitions, doors and windows orjalousies located in a wide variety of positions.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of structuralshapes or pieces of the kind above referred to which are further soproportioned and sized as to be readily handleable by a pair of workmen,notwithstanding the fabrication of the pieces from asbestos-cementcompositions. Thus, no power equipment i required for the erection ofhouses made from the pieces constructed according to the invention, andthe convenient handling thereof by a pair of workmen readily fits intonormal building techniques and enables construction of the houses at aminimum cost, as compared with operations requiring the use of powerequipment.

By the fabrication of the structural shapes from asbes 3,423,891Patented Jan. 28, 1969 tos-cement compositions, several importantobjectives are achieved, including high strength of the pieces even whenmade in relatively thin sections. In addition the various pieces mayreadily be drilled, trimmed, or cut with commonly available power andhand tools.

The fabrication of the structural shapes employed of asbestos-cementcompositions also provides housing which is vermin and rot proof andwhich is also readily painted according to desired color decoration.

It is also an object of the invention to provide structural pieces soshaped and proportioned as to enable alternative use thereof for eithersingle or double walls, or combinations thereof in the same house. Forinstance in a typical embodiment as fully disclosed hereinafter, theoutside walls of the house may be of double construction, while theinterior partitions are of single wall construction, both types of Wallsbeing readily constructed from the same pieces. In view of thiscapability or flexibility, the exterior walls of a house constructed ofpieces made according to the present invention may comprise a double andinsulated wall, whereas the interior partitions, if desired, may be madeof only a single wall. Alternatively both the partition walls as well asthe out side walls may be made of double construction and either or bothof them may have heat or sound insulating material introduced into theinter-wall space.

In addition to the foregoing, the invention also provides numerous otheradvantages with respect to the structure of the outside or partitionwalls and also of the roof of the house, and the manner of mounting ofthe roof on the walls. In this connection it is an important object toprovide certain modular characteristics or features, thereby readilyadapting various of the structural pieces themselves and alsosubassemblies thereof to use in different ways in different parts of thehouse, for instance in outside walls and also in inside walls orpartitions. In order to achieve maximum flexibility in this respect, themodules have been developed in the mean plane of the walls, rather thanat one surface or the other thereof, and because of this feature specialcutting or trimming at corners and also at points of junction betweenoutside and partition walls is eliminated.

In achieving the foregoing, as will herein be fully eX- plained, thebasic structure of both the outside and partition walls of the housecomprises vertically extended posts and vertically extended wall panelsor board's, both the posts and panels being sized or dimensioned toprovide for 16 inch on-center spacing of the posts. The posts areprovided with grooves to receive the edges of the panels and thuscomplete the structure of the wall. This not only provides advantages inrelation to the employment of certain standard components, such asdoors, windows and jalousies, but is also of importance in achieving oneof the other objectives referred to above, namely proportioning anddimensioning of the individual structural pieces so that they mayreadily be handled by a pair of workmen.

In house structure of the kind above referred to, it is an importantobject of the invention to provide a post Which not only has certain ofthe dimensional features already mentioned but which further is ofsquare cross section and has a pair of spaced panel receiving grooves ineach of its four sides, the disposition of the grooves in each sidebeing symmetrical With relation to the central axis of the post. Exactlythe same post, therefore, is adapted for use in any wall in the housewhether of double or single construction, whether an outside wall or aninside wall, and it may be used in any position in any wall, includingeither inside or outside corners, intermediate positions, or positionsat points of juncture between an interior or partition Wall with anoutside wall.

It is also an object of the invention to accomplish all of the foregoingwhile at the same time providing a house structure having goodappearance or aesthetic appeal.

How the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained willappear more fully from the following description referring to theaccompanying drawings which illustrate one overall embodiment of a houseconstructed according to the present invention, as well as onemodification of a portion thereof. In these drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a typical house constructed accordingto the present invention and having the plan illustrated in FIGURE 4,FIGURE 1 showing both the front side of the house, which appears at thebottom of FIGURE 4 and also that side which appears toward the right inthe plan view of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view looking toward the side of the housepresented in the top of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view looking toward the side of the housepresented to the left of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the house shown in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 3 butwith the roof itself removed in order to show the rafters andpartitions;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view taken as indicated by the line 5-5on FIGURE 4, FIGURE 5 being on an enlarged scale but with certainportions broken out as is indicated;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to FIGURE 5as indicated by the section line 66 which appears on both of FIGURES 4and 5, FIGURE 6 being on the scale of FIGURE 5 and also having certainportions broken out;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the roof and certainroof supports shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, this view also being on thescale of FIGURES 5 and 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view, with parts broken out,illustrating a portion of the roof and roof supports adjacent to theridge of the roof, this view being generally on the scale of FIGURES 5,6 and 7;

FIGURE 9 is a vertical sectional view of the structure in the region ofthe front door of the house, the view being taken as indicated by thesection line 99 on FIG- URES 4 and 11, FIGURE 9 being on a scaleintermediate that of FIGURE 4 on the one hand and FIGURES 5 to 8 on theother hand;

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 9 but taken on the region of oneof the jalousies incorporated in the house of FIGURE 1, the viewrepresenting a section taken about as indicated by the line 1010 onFIGURES 4 and l 1;

FIGURE 11 is a horizontal sectional view through a corner of the housein the region of the door and jalousie appearing in FIGURES 9 and 10,this view being taken as indicated by the line 11-11 applied to FIGURE3;

FIGURE 12 is a horizontal sectional view similar to FIGURE 11 butshowing another outside corner of the house;

FIGURES l3 and 14 are vertical and horizontal sectional views at thelower end of a post, illustrating certain details of a mountingarrangement; and

FIGURES 15 to inclusive are isometric views of the six structural shapeswhich are used for the basic structure of the house shown in FIGURES lto 14 inclusive, these figures illustrating the approximate relativesizes and lengths of the six shapes which are, respectively, the roofpanel, rafter, cap rail, vertical post, vertical wall post, verticalwall panel, and base rail.

A second embodiment of roof supporting structure is illustrated inFIGURES 21 to 26 inclusive, these figures comprising views as follows:

FIGURE 21 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the roof ina plane parallel to and intermediate to the rafters;

FIGURE 22 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken as indicated bythe section line 22- 22 on FIG- URE 21;

FIGURE 23 is a view similar to FIGURE 22 but taken as indicated by theline 23-23 on FIGURE 21;

FIGURE 24 is an isometric view of certain details of the roof supportingstructure of this second embodiment;

FIGURE 25 is a view of a portion of a form of a cap rail of this secondembodiment; and

FIGURE 26 is an isometric view of a filler piece used in this secondembodiment, which filler piece may comprise a piece or section of a caprail such as shown in FIGURE 17.

In considering the drawings, attention is first directed to FIGURES 1, 2and 3 which illustrate a house constructed in accordance with thepresent invention from the structural shapes provided according to theinvention as illustrated in FIGURES 15 to 20 inclusive.

As above mentioned the structural shapes and the type of constructionand assembly contemplated according to the invention adapt themselvesreadily to houses of a variety of floor plans, a typical plan beingillustrated in FIGURE 4, the house of this same plan being shown in theperspective and elevational views of FIGURES 1 to 3.

In general, as seen in FIGURES 1 to 4, the house is preferably builtupon a base comprising a concrete or cement slab B, preferably having anenlarged area such as shown at P comprising in effect a porch area inthe region of the front door D.

Outside walls are indicated at O and partitions or inside walls at I.The roof structure is trimmed with a fascia indicated at F in FIGURES 1,2 and 3.

Before describing the structure of the house itself and the manner ofassembly of the structural shapes employed, reference is now made toFIGURES 15 to 20 and to the following brief description of theindividual structural shapes thereshown.

Beginning with FIGURE 18, there is shown one of the vertical posts whichare incorporated in each wall whether an outside wall or a partitionwall. The post comprises a member 27 of square cross section, with aninterior hollow 28 extended throughout the length thereof, and each sideof which has a pair of spaced vertical grooves 29-29, the verticalgrooves being spaced equal distances from the edges of that side of thepost and symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of thepost. These grooves are of width adapted to engage the edges of thevertical wall panels, one of which is shown at 30 in FIGURE 19. Thispanel comprises a plain flat piece or board of length approximating thatof the post 27, both being of appropriate length to make up the fullvertical height of the walls of the house.

In FIGURE 20 there is shown a base rail 31 comprising a channel memberwhich is placed on the concrete or other base B (see FIGURE 5) on whichthe house is to be built and which is positioned with the channelpresented upwardly. The channel flanges 3232 are spaced from each otherappropriately to interfit with the square lower ends of the posts 27incorporated in the walls.

In FIGURE 17 there is illustrated a cap rail 33 comprising a member ofH-shaped cross section, having lower flanges 3434 which are relativelyshallow or narrow but which are spaced from each other by a distanceproviding for interfitting of the upper ends of the posts 27. The caprail 33 further ha wider flanges 3535 preferably spaced the samedistance as flanges 3434 and projecting upwardly for cooperation in thesupport and positioning of rafters in the manner more fully describedherebelow.

In FIGURE 16 a rafter 36 is illustrated, this rafter comprising a memberhaving an interior hollow indicated at 37 and further having a pair ofupwardly projecting flanges 38-38 for a purpose described herebelow. Therafter 36 is desirably of the same width as the post 27 which will thuspermit it to be received between the upwardly extended flanges 35-35 ofthe cap rail 33, in certain positions of the roof, as will be explainedherebelow. The channel provided by the flanges 38-38 of the rafter 36provides a groove for cooperating with the flanges 3939 of the roofpanel indicated at 40 in FIG- URE this panel comprising a flat channelshaped piece with the channel flanges 39 projecting downwardly so thatthey may be received between the flanges 3838 of the rafter.

As hereinabove mentioned, all six pieces illustrated in FIGURES 15 toinclusive are adapted to be extruded and are preferably formed ofasbestos-cement composition.

In the preferred practice of the invention, the various pieces shown inFIGURES 15 to 20 inclusive are dimensioned as follows:

The vertical posts and panels 27 and 30 both have a length or verticaldimension corresponding to the height of the walls desired, for instance7 feet 6% inches. The panels 30 are desirably of about inch thicknessand the grooves 29 in the posts 27 have a width of about inch so as toaccommodate the edges of the panels 30 with slight clearance.

Having in mind the presence of the grooves in each face of the posts 27,for instance groove of about inch depth so as to effectively interengagewith the edges of the panels, and further having in mind the requirementthat the posts have adequate strength to support the roof structure ofthe house, the post preferably measures 3 /2 inches across each side.Another factor which has been taken into account in the proportioningand dimensioning of the posts is the groove spacing (about 1% inchesfrom center-to-center) required in order that standard size electricaljunction or outlet boxes measuring 1 /2 inches in depth from themounting surface may be accommodated when mounted on one of the panelsengaged in one of the grooves, without interfering with a panel receivedin the other groove.

The foregoing factors which have been taken into account in establishingthe post width of 3 inches are also taken into account in connectionwith the width of the panels 30 when employing the desired 16 inchcenter-t0- center spacing of the posts. Thus, with this 16 inch moduleand with the posts of dimensions as above described, the boards arepreferably of 13% inches width.

The dimensions of the post as above referred to also are used inestablishing the width of the channel between the flanges 32--32 of thebase rail 31, this channel width preferably being 3% inches, in order toaccommodate the ends of the post with slight clearance. The same is trueof the spacing of the flanges 34-34 of the cap rail 33. The rafter 36 isadvantageously made of the same Width as the posts (3 /2 inches) and thechannel spacing between flanges -35 of the cap rail is also desirably 8%inches so as to accommodate the width of the rafter.

The length of the base rails 31 and the cap rails 33 is not critical butin a preferred embodiment this length is 8 feet or 12 feet whichrepresent multiples of the 16 inch module referred to.

The width of the roof panel in this embodiment is 15 /2 inches, so thatslight clearance remains between the edges of the roof boards whenassembling rafters mounted on the 16 inch centers which is contemplatedfor both the vertical posts 27 and the rafters 36.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the posts and the dimensionsthereof constitute the keystone of the system being taken into accountin connection with at least certain dimensions of all of the other fivebasic pieces.

It is to be understood that a module larger than 16 inches may beemployed, for instance 24 inches, but the 16 inch module has greaterflexibility and will accommodate a !wider variety of other pieces ofequipment of standard sizes, as Will more fully appear hereinafter.

In the following description of the mode of construction of the houseaccording to the present invention, reference will be made to thegeneral sequence of constructionlal operations to be followed.

In the casting of the base B, anchor bolts are preferably included,several of such bolts appearing in FIG- URES 5 and 6- at 41. Theseanchors need not be provided for every post in each wall, butadvantageously are provided for every third or fourth post in each wall.Base rails 31 are then appropriately drilled to pass the bolts 41 andare positioned on the base B with the flanges 32 projecting upwardly, asill seal 42, such as asphalt coated roofing paper, being interposedbetween each base rail and the base B.

A series of vertical posts 27 alternating with vertical panels 30 isthen positioned in each partition and each outside wall at the 16 inchcenter-to-center spacing, with the vertical edges of the panels receivedin the grooves 29 in the adjacent sides of the posts, for instance inthe manner shown in FIGURES 5 and 12. At intervals along each wall, apost (for instance the center post appearing in FIGURE 6) is fastened toone of the bolts 41 by means of an angle piece 43 and a bolt 44 passedthrough apertures drilled in the post itself. This anchoring thuseflects fastening not only of the post but also of the base rail 31.

The upper ends of the posts included in each partition are alsopreferably tied together by means of the tie made up of -a plurality ofrods 45 which may conveniently be made of length substantiallyrepresenting a module dimension. At one end of such a wall, for instanceat the corner post shown in the lower left corner of FIGURE 12, ananchor bolt 46 is inserted through an aperture in the post from theinterior hollow thereof and this anchor bolt is connected by means of anut 47 with one of the rods 45, additional rods 45 being connected withthe first one by additional nuts 48 as the sections of the wall aresuccessively built up (see FIGURE 12). Upon tightening of the nuts suchas indicated at 48, the posts and the intervening wall panels 30 aredrawn together and held in their proper relation with the edges of thepanels engaged in the !grooves in the posts.

During assembly of these tie rod parts, anchor bolts 49 are desirablymounted on the rods 4-5 at spaced intervals which may be equal toseveral times the post spacing, these bolts being provided for thepurpose of fastening a cap rail in position at the top of the posts, inthe manner which will be clear from the following description referringto FIGURES 5, 6 and 7. Several such oap rails appear in these figures at33 and it will appear that the cap rails are positioned with theirflanges 34-34 projecting downwardly to interfit with the upper ends ofthe posts 2'7. The cap rails are drilled \at appropriate intervals toreceive the anchor bolts 49 and nuts are applied thereto to fasten thecap rails in position.

Attention is now called to the fact that FIGURE 5 illustrates the leftand right hand outside walls of FIG- URE 4 and also the centralpartition wall running through the middle of the building and serving asa support for the ridge of the roof. The cap rail positioned at the topof this centnal or ridge supporting partition (see also FIGURE 8) hasits upper flanges 3535 notched out in order to provide a socket toreceive and support the inner ends of rafters 36. Additional notchessuch as indicated at 50 in FIGURE 8 are provided at 16 inch intervals inboth directions from the central notch, in order to receive and supportthe inner ends of additional rafters 36, the depth of the notches 50progressively in creasing as the side walls of the house are approached,so that the rafters assume a slightly inclined position from the ridgeto the edge of the roof, as clearly appears in FIGURES 5 and 8.

The inner adjacent ends of the rafters 36 are also drilled to pass therods 51, and after assembly of these parts, the upwardly open channelprovided between the flanges 35-35 is filled with concrete so that therods 51 become embedded therein, thus providing a cementitious bond oranchor for the rafters with relation to the ridge cap rail. Similarly,at the side walls of the house, rods 52 are passed through the raftersand are embedded in the concrete within the cap rails in those regions.

In the end walls of the house, the roof supporting rafters 3s (seeFIGURES 9 and 10) are received within the upwardly presented channelsformed between the flanges 3535 of the cap rails 33. Thus, rafters 36are supported by cap rails in different relation thereto depending uponthe wall with which the cap rail is associated. Along the side walls ofthe house, and also along the central or ridge Supporting partition, therafters extend perpendicular to the cap rails, but at the end walls ofthe house, the rafters are parallel to and received within the upwardlypresented channels of the cap rails.

Upon assembly of the roof supports as described above, the roof panelsthemselves are applied, various of such panels being indicated at 40 inFIGURES to 8. It will be seen that the flanges 39 of the roof panels fitinto the channel provided between the flanges 39 of the rafters 36, thedimensions being such as to provide clearance between the edges ofadjacent panels so as to pass the fastening bolts 53. These boltsconveniently take the form of expansion bolts introduced into aperturesdrilled in the uppermost web of the hollow rafters 36, appropriatewashers 54 being introduced under the heads of the bolts 53 in order toprovide for engagement with a substantial area of the roof panels 40. Awaterproof fabric or plastic cover strip C (see FIGURE 5) may beadhesively applied over the ridge of the roof.

By the fastening bolts 53, the roof panels are secured to the rafters,and from the description above it will be noted that the rafters aresecured to the cap rails which, in turn, are secured to the posts.Finally, the posts are anchored to the base, so that all parts of thestructure are tightly held together.

The arrangement of the rafters with the interior hollow 37 isadvantageous for purposes of drainage. Thus, in the event of leakage ofwater from the channel in which the flanges 39 of the roof panels arereceived around the bolts 53 into the interior hollow 37, the interiorhollow 37 becomes in effect a duct to direct the leakage water laterallybeyond the side walls of the house, where it may be discharged throughapertures such as indicated in FIGURE 5 at 55. These apertures may beformed by notching out the lower end wall of the rafter 36 just insideof the fascia boards 56 which are desirably fastened to the ends of therafters. These fascia boards may be cut from the boards or panels 30shown in FIGURE 19, and desirably are cut or trimmed to width such as toconceal the inclined roof, when the building is viewed in elevation, forinstance as in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. In addition to the notches 55 in thelower wall of the hollow rafters, the upper wall thereof is desirablyalso notched as indicated at 55a in FIGURE 5 to facilitate drainage fromthe channel at the top of the rafters. From inspection of FIGURES 9 and11, it will be seen that pairs of posts 27a27b and 27c-27d arepositioned together and interlocked by means of key strips 57, therebyproviding a door jamb of increased strength as compared with thatavailable with only a single post. A wooden trim member 58 is thenpreferably provided at each side of the door opening, these pieces alsobeing fastened to the adjacent post by means of key strips 59. The doorD may then be hung in the doorway, and it will be noted that when theparts are assembled in this manner, the posts 27a and 27c may be spaceda distance representing a multiple of the 16 inch module, namely 48inches, while at the same time making provision for utilization of adoor of standard width, in the assembly illustrated this width being 34inches. Similarly (see FIGURES and 11) a jalousie 60 of standard 28 inchwidth may be introduced between the post 270 and the next post 270,while retaining the spacing between the posts 27c and 27a at a multipleof the 16 inch module, namely at a space of 32 inches.

Spaces above and below a jalousie, and also above a doorway may beclosed by panel boards such as indicated at 61 in FIGURES 9 and 10,which may be cut from boards 3%).

In the case of employment of jalousies of relatively small verticalheight, for instance those indicated at 62 in FIGURE 2, the remainder ofthe wall in this region may be completed by including posts at 16 inchon-center spacing, but cutting off the posts and also the interveningwall panel boards at the appropriate height.

In connection with the structure above described, it will be noted thatthe same posts 27 are employed in all post positions, including those atcorners of the house, whether outside or inside corners and also atpoints of junction between an outside wall and an inside partition andstill further at door jambs. In instances where the posts appear atcorners or at junction points, anchor means may be provided for the tierods 45, for instance bolts 46 mentioned above in connection with FIGURE12, which as shown in that figure, may be inserted through the interiorhollow of a corner or junction post so as to exetnd through differentsides of the post and thus cooperate with tie rods for different wallswhich are joined at that post.

It will also be understood that with respect to any of the walls, eitheroutside walls or partition walls, the wall panel boards 30 may be usedin multiple so as to provide a double Wall construction or,alternatively only a single wall of the boards may be employed. In somecases it may be desirable to employ double walls for the outside wallsof the house, but only single walls for the interior partition and thesevariants may all readily be adapted, while employing the same posts andother parts of the structure.

In cases where double walls are used, various of the fastening devices,such as the tie rods 45 and the anchor pieces 43 and 49 are allconcealed within the interior space between the two panels. Thisinterpanel space also provides for the introduction of electricalconnections, as well as for piping, so that in many instances it ispreferred to employ the double panel construction, as compared withsingle panel construction. Nevertheless in certain partitions only asingle wall or panel need be used, thereby further reducingconstructional costs.

Still further in the event of employment of double walls, insulation ofvarious kinds may be introduced in the interpanel space. As an examplemineral fiber insulation or insulation in flake or granular form may beintroduced. Moreover for some purposes it is advantageous to introducedry sand into the inter-panel space. This strengthens the generalconstruction and also has the effect of substantially eliminatingvibration of panel boards in the post grooves. All or occasionalinter-panel spaces in any wall may even be filled with cementitiousmaterial, thereby greatly increasing the strength and stability of theentire structure.

Another manner of utilizing the post 27 is illustrated in FIGURES l3 and14, this being appropriate to a situation where an interior partitionterminate without joining another wall. In such a case, an expansionbolt 63 may be used to fasten a disc 64 to the base B, the disc 64 beingof size adapted to fit into the interior hollow 28 of a post 27. Thepost fastening device illustrated in FIG- URES 13 and 14 may also beemployed for the lower ends of roof supporting posts which are notincorporated in walls, for instance the posts shown in FIGURE 1 at theleft hand side of the figure, which are employed for the support of aroof overhang over the porch P.

The structure provided in accordance with the foregoing is highlyflexible and adaptable to different conditions and to different houseplans and provides the basic structure of such houses by the employmentof only six basic shapes, with a minimum of trimming and lilting.

FIGURES 21 to 26 inclusive illustrate a modified arrangement providingfor the support of the roof. In accordance with this modifiedarrangement the same wall posts are employed as in the arrangementpreviously described, namely the posts 27 having grooves on all foursides adapted to cooperate with the edges of wall panels 30a which arethe same as the panels 30 previously described, except that they aremade slightly longer than the posts, so as to project upwardly a shortdistance above the upper ends of the posts, as is clearly visible inFIGURES 22 and 23.

Exactly the same roof panels 40 are employed in the arrangement ofFIGURES 21 to 26, as are also exactly the same rafters 36. However therafters are differently supported on the upper ends of the posts. Thedifference here involved is largely a matter of employment of differentcap rails. Two different shapes of cap rails are used in thisembodiment, namely the cap rails 65 and 66 which are shown in theisometric views of FIGURES 24 and 25 and which also appear in transversesection in FIGURE 21. The chief difference between the rails 65 and 66is in the vertical dimension thereof, the rail 65 being thicker than therail 66 and being adapted to support the rafters above the ridgesupporting wall of the house (appearing toward the left in FIGURE 21).Thus the rafters 36 are positioned at right angles to the cap rail 65and rest thereon at the ridge of the roof.

On the other hand the rail 66 is adapted to be supported on an outsidewall of the house paralleling the ridge supporting wall, as seen at theright in FIGURE 21, and the difference in thickness of the cap rails 65and 66 provides the desired pitch for the roof, instead of providingsuch pitch by notching out cap rails to different degrees as wasdescribed in connection with the cap rails 33 of the first embodiment.

Each-f the cap rails 65 and 66 also is provided with downwardlyprojecting flanges 67-67 and 68-68 forming a channel for receiving theupper ends of the posts 27, in a manner similar to that described abovein connection with the cap rails 33 of the first embodiment. The caprails 65 and 66 also have a downwardly open central channel 69 which,when the cap rails are placed upon the posts communicate with the upperedges of the spaces between the wall panels 36a. In order to avoidcracks between the Wall boards 36a and the cap rails 65 and 66, thechannel '69 is made of width sufficient to embrace the pair of panels30a, and the upward extension of the panels 30a above the upper ends ofthe posts results in projecting of the upper ends of the panels into thechannel 69, so that no open crack will remain in this region. Thechannel 69, however, extends across the top ends of the post 27 and thusmay be used as a duct for electrical wiring or even for piping of smalldiameter. When employing this duct for electrical wiring, the wiring maythen be extended downwardly between the panels 30a at any desired pointin the wall, for instance to a junction or outlet box located near thefloor level.

The cap rail 65 also has an interior hollow indicated at 70 whichlightens the structure.

Between the rafters 36, filler pieces such as shown at 71 in FIGURES 24and 26 are desirably employed, these filler pieces also being supportedon the cap rails. Actually the filler pieces 71 may comprise a sectionof the piece 33 in FIGURE 17 and used in the first embodiment as a caprail. Grooves 72 are provided in the upper surface of the cap rails 65and 66 in order to receive the downwardly projecting flanges 73 of thefiller pieces 71. The upper flanges 74 of the filler pieces 71 serve toblock off the inter-rafter spaces. In the event of employment of apartition intermediate the ridge supporting partition and the outsidewall shown at the left and right of FIGURE 21, for instance thepartition wall shown in FIGURE 21 between the center of the figure andthe left side, the filler pieces 71 may be supported upon a cap rail 66of the same type as 10 used at the outside wall. In this event theflanges 74 of the filler pieces 71 will not reach all the way to theroof panels 40 but will block off at least most of the space between therafters in the region of that partition.

The filler pieces, the rafters and the cap rails are desirably anchoredor secured in position by means of anchor bolts 75, some of which appearin FIGURES 21, 22 and 23. These anchor bolts have apertured eyes adaptedto be threaded upon the tie rods 45 and extend upwardly through holesdrilled in the cap rails and in the filler pieces. Above the fillerpieces the anchor bolts cooperate with angle irons 76 which in turn arefastened to the rafters 36 by means of bolts 77.

The roof supporting arrangements of the two embodiments described aboveeach have certain advantages. On the one hand in the arrangement ofFIGURES 1 to 20, the roof supporting arrangement requires a minimumnumber of different shapes and also eliminates any neces sity foremployment of filler pieces between the rafters. On the other hand thearrangement of FIGURES 21 to 26 is of advantage in providing a duct forelectrical wiring above the upper ends of the posts and further ineliminating the employment of rods such as shown at 51 in FIGURE 8, aswell as the concrete in filling the upwardly presented channel of thecap rail 33.

I claim:

1. A building structure comprising a plurality of walls including wallslying in planes at right angles to each other and each wall includingvertical posts and vertical panels, the individual posts and theindividual panels being of length suflicient to extend substantiallythroughout the height of the walls, each wall including a plurality ofposts having equal center -to-center spacing from each other and eachpost being of square cross section, with an interior hollow extendedthroughout the length of the post and each post having a pair of spacedvertical grooves in each of its four sides with the grooves in each sidespaced equal distances from the edges of that side and symmetricallyarranged with respect to the central axis of the post to thereby providepairs of opposed panel receiving grooves in the adjacent sides of spacedposts in each wall, each vertical panel of the walls being of thicknessfitting the post grooves and of width sufficient to span thepost-to-post spacing and to project into the post grooves, the wallslying in planes intersecting each other at a junction post common toboth wallsand each wall including vertical panels received In at leastone of the pairs of opposed grooves, and post interconnecting tiesextended through and between the posts of each wall, and anchor meansfor the adjacent ends of the tie for both walls, the anchor means forboth ties being disposed within the interior hollow of the junctionpost.

2. A building structure according to claim 1 and further including achannel member extending along each wall at an end of the posts, thechannel of the channel member being of width fitting the ends of thesquare posts and being positioned in engagement therewith.

3. A building structure according to claim 1 in which each wall includespairs of vertical panels received in both pairs of opposed grooves inadjacent sides of the spaced posts thereof.

4. A building structure comprising a wall including vertical posts andvertical panels, the individual posts and the individual panels being oflength sufficient to extend substantially throughout the height of theWalls and the wall including a plurality of spaced posts of square crosssection, each post having a pair of spaced vertical grooves in each ofits four sides with the grooves in each side spaced equal distances fromthe edges of that side and symmetrically arranged with respect to thecentral axis of the post to thereby provide pairs of opposed panelreceiving grooves in the adjacent sides of spaced posts in the wall,each vertical panel of the wall being of thickness fitting the postgrooves and of width sufficient to span the post-to-post spacing and toproject into the post grooves, the wall including pairs of verticalpanels received in the pairs of opposed grooves in adjacent sides of thespaced posts, a post interconnecting tie extended through and betweenthe posts adjacent the upper ends thereof and lying between the pairs ofvertical panels, a roof including rafters supported on the upper ends ofthe posts of the wall and rafter tie-down means connected with therafters and with the post interconnecting tie.

5. A building structure according to claim 4 in which the raftertie-down means includes a cap rail interposed between the upper ends ofthe posts and the rafters and means for connecting the rafters to thecap rail and means for connecting the cap rail to the postinterconnecting tie.

6. A building structure according to claim 4 in which the raftertie-down means includes an upright link member connected with the rafterat its upper end and connected with the post interconnecting tie at itslower end.

7. A building sructure comprising outside and partition walls in spacedparallel relation and each including vertical posts and vertical panels,the individual posts and the individual panels being of lengthsufficient to extend substantially throughout the height of the walls,there being a plurality of posts having equal center-tocenter spacingfrom each other in both outside and partition walls and each post beingof square cross section, each post having a pair of spaced verticalgrooves in each of its four sides with the grooves in each side spacedequal distances from the edges of that side and symmetrically arrangedwith respect to the central axis of the post to thereby provide pairs ofopposed panel receiving grooves in the adjacent sides of spaced posts ineach wall, each vertical panel of the outside and partition walls beingof thickness fitting the post grooves and of width sufiicient to spanthe post-to-post spacing and to project into the post grooves, cap railsextended along and supported by the upper ends of the posts in theparallel outside and partition walls, each cap rail having a downwardlyopen channel of width fitting the upper ends of the posts, and roofrafters supported by the cap rails.

8. A building structure comprising a plurality of walls including wallslying in planes at right angles to each other and each wall includingvertical posts and vertical panels, the individual posts and theindividual panels being of length sufficient to extend substantiallythroughout the height of the walls, each post being of square crosssection and having a pair of spaced vertical grooves in each of its foursides with the grooves in each side spaced equal distances from theedges of that side and symmetrically arranged with respect to thecentral axis of the post to thereby provide pairs of opposed panelreceiving grooves in the adjacent sides of spaced posts in each wall,each vertical panel of the walls being of thickness fitting the postgrooves and of width sufiicient to span the post-to-post spacing and toproject into the post grooves, the walls including vertical panelsreceived in at least one of the pairs of opposed grooves betweenadjacent posts, rafters for supporting a roof, the rafters being of thesame width as the posts of the walls, and elongated rafter supportingmembers extended along and mounted on walls at right angles to eachother and each having a downwardly presented channel fitting the upperends of the posts of the wall on which the member is mounted, each ofthe rafter supporting members further having an upwardly presentedchannel fitting the rafter width, there being a rafter supporting membermounted on one wall and having a rafter received in its upwardlypresented channel, and there being a rafter supporting member mounted ona wall perpendicular to said one wall and having rafters extendedtransversely thereof and supported thereon.

9. A building structure comprising a wall including vertical posts andvertical panels, the individual posts and the individual panels being oflength sufficient to extend substantially throughout the height of thewall, there being a plurality of posts having equal center-to-centerspacing from each other in the wall and each post being of square crosssection and having a pair of spaced vertical grooves in each of its foursides with the grooves in each side spaced equal distances from theedges of that side and symmetrically arranged with respect to thecentral axis of the post to thereby provide pairs of opposed panelreceiving grooves in the adjacent sides of spaced posts in the wall,each vertical panel of the wall being of thickness fitting the postgrooves and of width sufficient to span the post-to-post space and toproject into the post grooves, the wall including vertical panels,received in at least one of the pairs of opposed grooves betweenadjacent posts, a cap rail extended along the upper edge of the wall andintcrfitting with the upper ends of the square posts and supportedthereon, a roof including spaced rafters extended at right angles to thecap rail and supported thereon at spaced intervals along the cap rail,and means fastening the rafters to the cap rail and the cap rail to theposts, the cap rail comprising cementitious material and has an upwardlyopen channel having notches at spaced intervals receiving the rafters,the rafters comprising cementitious material and the means for fasteningthe rafters to the cap rail comprising a mass of cementitious materialinfilling the upwardly open channel of the cap rail in the vicinity ofand in bonding engagement with the rafters.

10. A building structure according to claim 9 and further including ananchor rod extended through the rafters within the notches in the caprail, the anchor rod being embedded in the mass of cementitious materialin the channel of the cap rail.

11. A building structure comprising roof bearing outside and partitionwalls in spaced parallel relation and further comprising an intermediatenon-bearing partition wall parallel to said other Walls, each wallincluding vertical posts and vertical panels, the individual posts andthe individual panels being of length sufficient to extend substantiallythroughout the height of the walls, there being a plurality of postshaving equal center-to-center spacing from each other in each wall andeach post being of square cross section and having a pair of spacedvertical grooves in each of its four sides with the grooves in each sidespaced equal distances from the edges of that side and symmetricallyarranged with respect to the central axis of the post to thereby providepairs of opposed panel receiving grooves in the adjacent sides of spacedposts in each wall, each vertical panel of each wall being of thicknessfitting the post grooves and of width sufficient to span thepost-to-post spacing and to project into the post grooves, cap railsextended along and supported by the upper ends of the posts in the roofbearing parallel outside and partition walls, each cap rail having adownwardly open channel of width fitting the upper ends of the posts,roof rafters supported by the cap rails and filler pieces at the upperedges of each of said bearing and non-bearing walls, the filler piecesextending from rafter to rafter to substantially close the spacestherebetween.

12. A building structure comprising roof bearing outside and partitionwalls in spaced parallel relation, each wall including vertical postsand vertical panels, the individual posts and the individual panelsbeing of length sufficient to extend substantially throughout the heightof the walls, there being a plurality of posts having equalcenter-to-center spacing from each other in both outside and partitionwalls and each post being of square cross section and having a pair ofspaced vertical grooves in each of its four sides with the grooves ineach side spaced equal distances from the edges of that side andsymmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the post tothereby provide pairs of opposed panel receiving grooves in the adjacentsides of spaced posts in each wall, each vertical panel of the outsideand partition walls being of thickness fitting the post grooves and ofwidth suflicient to span the post-to-post spacing and to project intothe post grooves, cap rails extended along and supported by the upperends of the posts in the parallel outside and partition walls, each caprail having a downwardly open channel of width fitting the upper ends ofthe posts, roof rafters supported by the cap rails, and filler pieces atthe upper edges of each of said walls, the filler pieces extending fromrafter to rafter to substantially close the spaces therebetween.

13. A building structure comprising a plurality of Walls including Wallslying in planes at right angles to each other and each wall includingvertical posts and vertical panels, the individual posts and theindividual panels being of length suflicient to extend substantiallythroughout the height of the walls, each Wall including a plurality ofposts having equal center-to-center spacing from each other and eachpost being of square cross section, with an interior hollow extendedthroughout the length of the post, and each post further having a pairof spaced vertical grooves in each of its four sides with the grooves ineach side spaced equal distances from the edges of that side andsymmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the post tothereby provide pairs of opposed panel receiving grooves in the adjacentsides of spaced posts in each wall, each vertical panel of the wallsbeing of thickness fitting the post grooves and of width sufiicient tospan the post-to-post spacing and to project into the post grooves, thewalls lying in planes intersecting each other at a junction post commonto both walls and at least one of the walls including vertical panelsreceived in both of the pairs of opposed grooves in adjacent sides ofthe spaced posts thereof, a post interconnecting tie extended from postto post between said pairs of vertical panels, and anchor means for anend of the tie, the anchor means being disposed within the interiorhollow of said junction post.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,399,978 5/ 1946 Bartholomew52220 2,797,446 7/ 1957 Miller 52220 X 3,251,169 5/ 1966 Cornelissen52281 1,256,393 2/1918 Thomas 52-92 1,618,886 2/1927 Peterson 522621,702,340 2/ 1929 Gates 5292 2,010,890 8/1935 Prince 52282 2,046,2466/1936 Clem 5292 2,521,381 9/1950 Lenck 52262 2,682,089 6/1954 Stahl52404 2,718,034 9/1955 Brown 52282 3,256,657 6/1966 Phipps 522273,261,625 7/1966 Cripe 287189.36

FOREIGN PATENTS 637,349 1928 France. 932,937 1947 France.

JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 5215, 92 220, 227, 250, 262, 282, 275, 495

